wailing

American  

[wey-ling] / ˈweɪ lɪŋ /

adjective

1. uttering a prolonged, inarticulate, mournful cry, usually high-pitched or clear-sounding, as in grief or suffering.

   In the village we passed a funeral procession, the wailing widow following behind the body of her husband.

2. making a mournful sound, as a siren, music, the wind, etc..

   A wailing police siren nears, passes, and fades.

3. complaining, protesting, whining, or crying.

   He rubbed the bare foot of the wailing toddler and planted a kiss on it.

   They’re always trying to correct the market, usually in the interests of some wailing pressure group.

4. Slang. expressing emotion musically or verbally in an exciting, satisfying way.

   The song celebrates with a Cajun-flavored stomp accompanied by a wailing fiddle and screaming electric guitar.

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noun

1. a mournful cry or sound, or the act of making such a sound.

   The wailing of the mourners rose and fell, merging with the drums and the shaman’s chants.

2. an act or instance of complaining, protesting, etc..

   “All art is propaganda, despite the wailing of purists,” she sneered.

3. Slang. the act of expressing emotion musically or verbally in an exciting, satisfying way.

   At this live show from 1974, the soulful wailing of the chorus in the background is utterly spine-tingling.

Other Word Forms

• unwailing adjective
• wailingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of wailing

First recorded in 1350–1400; wail ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; wail ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

"Woken by huge bangs and wailing siren," he texted.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

As Héctor and the other paramedic, Julio César Vega, 28, entered the premises, a woman ran in wailing.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

With Mr. Frampton wailing on guitar, “Doobie Wah” has a hard-rock core but a rollicking Doobie Brothers feel akin to that group’s 1972 hit “Listen to the Music.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

The 17-year-old Pliny was at Misenum, approximately 18 miles from the volcano, but even there “you could hear the wailing of women, the cries of babies, the shouting of men.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

It was a terrible, wailing shriek, so much like a human that Nhamo stuffed her fist into her mouth to keep from crying out.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• sobbing
• weeping